Trini Carnival blogger Abbenash Rajnarinesingh.
Caribbean news. Soca as a musical genre is as distinct from other music as much as a hummingbird is different from a Scarlet Ibis.
This can also be said of its artistes. Each one possesses a unique flavour and style that affect what “their Soca” is used for. As Bungi Garlin one said in the filming of his hit “Carnival Tabanca”, “I know what I am doing with my music; it is up to others to know what they want to do with their music”.
What does this mean? Well it means for some artistes it’s about the message, for others it is about the fame and fortune, but for all I believe it’s about promotion.
Soca artistes both old and new use their musical gift to promote the music, the country i.e. Trinidad and Tobago, and to promote Carnival where Soca finds a home each year. It is important to note that just as Carnival has been adopted in London, Canada and Miami; Soca has also been adopted in the Caribbean region, New York and even in Japan.
It is a wonderful site to see young people getting involved in Soca. As Machel Montano said in the 2014 International Power Soca Monarch: I want to see new people in soca, I want to see 10 Machel Montanos’ in Soca, I want to see Power Soca live on” When young people take on the mantel of Soca and carry on, then our culture lives on. Now you may be asking what Soca has to do with Carnival. I can go as far in stating that without Soca and the people who produce it, carnival would stop and cease to exist. Soca is the life of Carnival.
Bunji Garlin. Photo courtesy iriemusicfestival.com
Carnival is an event participated by people and enjoyed by people both local and abroad. However, without investment into Soca, human capital or otherwise, we locally and globally will lose out on an amazing experience and a unique phenomenon. I thank the new Soca artistes such as ‘5 star akil” and ‘Mr.Killa” for taking on the Soca mantel, and I thank investors such as Caribe Brewery for awarding excellence in the genre.
Carnival 2015 will be greater than Carnival 2014. It consists of new talent and new Soca. With that being said the heart of carnival will continue to pump and the greatest show on earth with live on. Hope to see you there.
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